xymnovel Chapter 4 Farewell
Chapter 4 Farewell
Leo felt like an outsider who controlled the whole situation but remained behind the scenes. With his back to the bloody battlefield, he walked to the main cabin with his longsword slung over his shoulder and confidently pushed open the heavy hatch.
Before he could even utter the word "Your Highness," the expression he had prepared—a mixture of concern and panic—froze instantly: a sword suddenly thrust out from the shadows behind the door, striking his right shoulder.
However, the expected excruciating pain did not come. The sword tip barely pierced the flesh before being quickly withdrawn. The resistance came from the hard shoulder blade, and the swordsman did not have enough strength.
He subconsciously thought that his behind-the-scenes identity was gone, and that he was being put into the open and subjected to a naked trial.
"Captain, you should have knocked first," Alexius emerged from the shadows behind the door, a bloodstained gold-embroidered dagger in his hand, his face full of apology. "I was too rash, I'm...sorry..."
Leo's rationality returned instantly. The two brats in front of him didn't suspect him, so this sword strike seemed to be just an accident.
Leo clutched his bleeding shoulder, forcing a pained yet loyal expression: "Your Highness! I'm so glad you're alright! Outside...it's all in chaos! Old Joseph ordered me to protect you both with my life!"
His tone was urgent and worried: "Your Highness, we must know where the attackers came from! Has His Majesty been dealing with any sensitive matters lately? Such as negotiations with the Venetians, or border skirmishes with the Seljuk Sultan? These are no ordinary pirates; they have a clear objective, and there must be an inside man!"
Alexius scratched his head awkwardly and embarrassedly—he couldn't understand a word.
He then looked at Lyon, his gaze sincere: "And you, Lyon... young master. Your identity is special, and I'm worried... could this be aimed at you? Does your mother's family have any enemies in Constantinople? Or... does your father's family, the de Anjou family, have any irreconcilable enemies in Europe?"
"Captain Leo," Leon interrupted Leo's question without answering it, his voice unusually calm, "Have you been drinking?"
"It's just a little wine. I'm perfectly sober now and won't let anything go wrong," he said, looking at Alexius for help. "Is Your Highness's guard so disciplined that they can't even drink wine?"
"Ah...uh...no..." Alexius felt a little guilty. He had never been in charge of military discipline, but it wasn't something to be proud of, so he could only vaguely deny it.
"Did you run into Father Jacob? He went to find bread for me about 15 minutes ago and hasn't come back yet."
Leo naturally gave the exact same answer he had given to old Joseph: "Ah, I didn't see him. He was probably too drunk to find his way and wandered off somewhere else."
"Is that so? You smell really strongly of alcohol..." Leon's eyes, hidden behind his mask, stared sharply at him. "Wine doesn't smell like this. I've only ever smelled it on Father Jacob's private brew."
Leo's expression changed drastically.
Lyon observed his expression and said slowly, "As a captain of the guard, you are very smart, you know a lot, but you are too smart. You know things you shouldn't know, and you don't know things you should know..."
Leo almost instinctively placed his right hand on the hilt of his sword, his face contorted in a grimace. Ignoring the pain in his shoulder, he took a sudden step forward, attempting to intimidate the two boys with his adult physique and the imposing presence of a warrior.
Leon was faster; he threw the empty bottle of liquor that Accord had finished drinking at Leo. Leo hurriedly dodged, but the ceramic bowl fell to the ground and shattered, shards and liquor splattering everywhere, and the strong smell of alcohol instantly filled the air.
Leon then picked up the brass candlestick on the table and hurled it at Leo, shouting at Alexius:
"Alexius, bow your head!"
At that very moment, the candlestick in Leon's right hand smashed down onto the wine-soaked deck in front of Leo's feet.
The moment the sparks came into contact with the alcohol permeating the air, a tongue of fire suddenly shot up.
A wave of scorching heat hit him, forcing Leo to take two steps back. He instinctively raised his arm to shield his face. The movement aggravated the wound on his shoulder, causing a sharp pain that made him let out a suppressed groan.
He immediately realized that the flames were not large, but they blocked his direct path to the two children.
He tried to stomp on the edge of the flames or flap his cloak at them, attempting to force his way through.
However, the flowing liquor made the flames almost impossible to catch, nearly igniting his trouser leg instead.
"You little bastards, you think this can stop me? Once the fire is out, I'll tear every bone out of your bodies!" Leo roared through the wall of fire, his voice distorted with rage.
The scorching air made it difficult for Leon and Alexius to breathe, and sweat mixed with black smoke streamed down their foreheads.
They huddled together, staring at the crazed figure on the other side of the wall of fire.
Alexius was older than Lyon. He looked up casually and was pleasantly surprised to find a small porthole on the wall. It wasn't particularly high or low, but it was still an obstacle for the two boys.
He abruptly crouched down, crossing his arms in front of him to create a stable support, his tone resolute and brooking no argument: "Leon, quick! Step on it!"
Without hesitation, Leon whispered, "Hold on!" He then stepped on Alexius's crossed hands, bracing his other hand against the wall. Alexius groaned, veins bulging on his forehead, and with all his might, he thrust upwards, raising Leon's body in the process, his hands just reaching the edge of the porthole. Wood chips and dust fell, landing on Alexius's upturned face.
Lyon clung to the windowsill, using his arms to strain as he leaned his upper body out of the window.
The icy sea breeze instantly filled his lungs, but he had no time to pay attention to anything else; his gaze swept across the deck area outside the window as swiftly as a hawk's.
Fortunately, there was always a way out. Right below the porthole, one end of a thick hemp rope used to tie the sail rigging had come loose and was hanging down to the outside of the ship's side.
Lyon's eyes lit up. He immediately leaned down, half his body back into the cabin, and quickly tossed one end of the rope to Alexius: "Grab it! Wrap it around your wrist twice!"
At the same time, he quickly wrapped the other end of the rope twice around a protruding wooden structure below the porthole, tied a figure-eight knot, and held it tightly with his entire body weight.
"Quick!" Leon growled into the window.
Alexius grabbed the rope and braced his feet against the bulkhead for leverage.
Leo seemed to realize their intentions and kept throwing whatever he could get his hands on toward Alexius.
With their combined effort, Alexius finally tumbled out, landing heavily on the deck next to Leon.
The two collapsed onto the cold deck, their chests heaving violently, and a strong, nauseating odor instantly enveloped them.
Everywhere you look is purgatory.
The half-sail hanging from the mast was burning fiercely, and corpses lay scattered in various contorted positions, including guards wearing Byzantine lamellar armor, but mostly pirates with turbans wrapped around their heads.
The deck had become sticky and slippery, and every step could result in stepping on someone's severed limbs.
Lyon's gaze swept quickly across the battlefield, finally landing on the old guard who was fighting a bloody battle not far away.
Old Joseph, exhausted from the battle and panting, growled at Alexius, "They have a lot of standard weaponry that doesn't fit the pirates' image—they must have some powerful backing them!"
Without the slightest hesitation, Leon abruptly raised his hand and ripped off his leather mask.
When his face was first fully exposed to the firelight, Alexius stared in disbelief, as if he were seeing his dearest friend for the first time.
There were no signs of illness on that face.
"Leon...you..." His words caught in his throat. The person in front of him overlapped with the image of his frail playmate from his memory, and then shattered in an instant.
Old Joseph had just chopped down a pirate when, in the instant he turned around, his pupils contracted sharply in disbelief.
Leon ignored their shock and moved with lightning speed. He quickly removed his heavy cloak while keeping a close eye on Alexius.
"No time to explain, put it on! Follow old Joseph, get in the boat, and escape!" He shoved his coat into Alexius's arms, while his hand reached for the purple cloak on Alexius's shoulder.
Alexius, as if burned, threw off the leper's cloak, tears of humiliation and betrayal welling in his eyes.
He opened his mouth, wanting to fully express his doubts, grievances, and anger at being deceived, but a thousand words were stuck in his throat like a fishbone, and he could only make sobbing sounds mixed with saliva and tears.
“I understand everything, brother,” Leon sighed, “but you understand nothing. I’m just an insignificant second son, while you are destined to be the future Basilius.”
Lyon gave old Joseph a look, and the latter immediately understood. He raised his strong right arm and aimed precisely at the back of Alexius's neck.
With a dull, crisp sound, Alexius's sobbing came to an abrupt halt.
His body stiffened abruptly, and he fell forward limply like a puppet with its strings cut.
As if he had already anticipated this outcome, old Joseph opened his arms the instant Alexius fell, catching him steadily and almost gently. He knelt on one knee and gently checked Alexius's breathing with his rough fingers. Only after confirming that his breathing was steady did his clenched heart relax slightly.
He looked up at Lyon, his eyes filled with complex emotions.
"He...he'll be alright." Old Joseph's voice was a little hoarse, it was hard to tell whether he was comforting Lyon or himself, "He'll just sleep for a while."
Lyon nodded, took a step back, his purple robes fluttering in the sea breeze. He looked at Alexius, the resolve in his eyes gradually replaced by calm.